Immigrant children waiting for visas must go to the back of the line when they turn 21, Supreme Court says

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court says immigrant children who waited for years with their parents to obtain visas still have to go to the back of the line when they turn 21.

The justices on Monday sided with the Obama administration in ruling that immigration laws do not let children who age out of the system qualify for visas.

The case involved Rosalina Cuellar de Osorio, a Salvadoran immigrant who was in line for a visa along with her 13-year-old son. But after years of waiting, her son turned 21 and government officials said he no longer qualified as an eligible child. He was placed at the back of the line, resulting in a wait of several more years.

The family lost a challenge in federal district court, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision.